


{art} for The Golden Path

by altocello



Series: Illustrations for Big Bangs [9]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: After Camlann Merlin Big Bang, Digital Painting, Fanart, Gen, art nouveau
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-22 05:51:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11961036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/altocello/pseuds/altocello
Summary: After deciding somewhat at the last minute that I actually had the wherewithal to participate in the AfterCamlann Big Bang this year, I was lucky enough to snag the summary by blacktailchorus, whose fusion with His Dark Materials made for some amazing visuals.Each portrait is of the "whole" person in this story: the characters with the other half of their souls, their daemons. I chose to use a few Art Nouveau elements to tie all of them together, with some details being specific to each character.The dominant colors in each portrait are tied to the relationships between the characters and to the magical world; cool colors for those with magic, warm colors for those without, complementary colors for those with strong relationships (not necessarily romantic!), and related colors for family.Merlin is in front of an alethiometer, and Arthur is in front of a disk inscribed with Excalibur's engravings. As a maiden priestess of the Triple Goddess, Morgana has a waxing crescent moon, and empathetic Gwen, who helps others find the right path, has an astrolabe. Gaius the physician has a medallion inscribed with foxglove flowers, which can cure or kill depending on the dose. And Uther is shown in front of a total eclipse of the sun, representing that he can block the light of magic for a time over those he influences, but he can never truly extinguish it.All of these pieces were drawn in PS CC with a Wacom Bamboo tablet on a Mac.Disclaimer: These are non-profit fanworks; no harm intended, no money made.





	{art} for The Golden Path

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blacktail_chorus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blacktail_chorus/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Golden Path](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12013911) by [blacktail_chorus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blacktail_chorus/pseuds/blacktail_chorus). 



> After deciding somewhat at the last minute that I actually had the wherewithal to participate in the AfterCamlann Big Bang this year, I was lucky enough to snag the summary by blacktailchorus, whose fusion with His Dark Materials made for some amazing visuals. 
> 
> Each portrait is of the "whole" person in this story: the characters with the other half of their souls, their daemons. I chose to use a few Art Nouveau elements to tie all of them together, with some details being specific to each character. 
> 
> The dominant colors in each portrait are tied to the relationships between the characters and to the magical world; cool colors for those with magic, warm colors for those without, complementary colors for those with strong relationships (not necessarily romantic!), and related colors for family.
> 
> Merlin is in front of an alethiometer, and Arthur is in front of a disk inscribed with Excalibur's engravings. As a maiden priestess of the Triple Goddess, Morgana has a waxing crescent moon, and empathetic Gwen, who helps others find the right path, has an astrolabe. Gaius the physician has a medallion inscribed with foxglove flowers, which can cure or kill depending on the dose. And Uther is shown in front of a total eclipse of the sun, representing that he can block the light of magic for a time over those he influences, but he can never truly extinguish it. 
> 
> All of these pieces were drawn in PS CC with a Wacom Bamboo tablet on a Mac. 
> 
> Disclaimer: These are non-profit fanworks; no harm intended, no money made.

[ ](https://img07.deviantart.net/dfbc/i/2017/249/7/4/chapter_break_for_the_golden_path__primroses_by_altocello-dbl08ku.jpg)

Also on  
[DW](https://altocello.dreamwidth.org/54132.html) | [DA](https://altocello.deviantart.com/gallery/64063530/The-Golden-Path-After-Camlann-2017) | Tumblr [M/A](http://artocello.tumblr.com/post/165059644604/arthur-and-penstemmon-merlin-and-archimedes-for):[M/G](http://artocello.tumblr.com/post/165059646394/morgana-and-brecanyth-gwen-and-viro-for-the):[U/G](http://artocello.tumblr.com/post/165059647719/uther-and-saja-gaius-and-avia-for-the-golden)

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks are due to my writer, blacktailchorus, for writing the story that inspired these, for her aid in visualizing the daemons; it was a joy to get to work with you! Thanks also to my beta, amphigoury, for being her usual awesome self and keeping me honest about whether I really need to change this or add that. :D And thank you to my cheerleaders, jelazakazone, gwyntastic, and the chatzy chat crew who helped keep me enthusiastic about these pieces even when it seemed like I'd never be done. It always takes a village, and these would all be so much the poorer without all of you!


End file.
